Auren POV
Lucien’s voice thundered in the room. “What do you mean?” he shouted. “Bram kidnapped my daughter, and you are acting innocent?”
Maris’s shock was so huge that she not only started to tremble, her face was white as that of a ghost She opened her mouth and closed it, like a fish out of water With her pace pale and her usually sharp expressions dulled by her fear, she darted her glance between Lucien and me
The transformation from the confident, calculating woman I had once known to this trembling, pleading figure was impossible to believe. The amount of pain she had caused, all the destruction and mayhem–it was beyond redemption.
Her voice cracking, she begged, “Alpha Lucien, 1–I don’t know. Bram never told me anything about your daughter. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
In a flash of a moment, Lucien was in front of her. He grabbed her throat tightly, lifted her in the air and tossed her to the opposite wall like she weighed nothing. Josh gasped and rushed to her as she screamed, her ass landing on the floor
“Have mercy,” she cried as Josh helped her sit up. “I swear I don’t know about your daughter. Bram didn’t mention a word about her.” She looked at Josh, and he too, shook his head. “Please don’t destroy me or my pack. I’ve finally had a chance to live peacefully. I know I–I’ve made mistakes, but I never meant for it to go this far.” She got up with Josh’s help, but she remained in her place, scared of coming near Lucien. Lucien didn’t budge, his gaze cold, hard and anger rolling off of him in
waves.
“Tell us about Bram,” I demanded. “Tell us everything you know!” I was seriously getting impatient.
She looked at me, her eyes filled with genuine fear. Then suddenly, she dropped on her knees. It felt like she was desperate. “I know you’re angry, Alpha Lucien, Luna Auren. But trust me, it wasn’t me. It was Bram who orchestrated the attack. He was the one who made all the moves, caused all the chaos. He manipulated everything.. he used me… I did whatever he asked me to do.”
“What did he ask you to do?” Lucien shouted again, his fists rolling on his sides.
Maris flinched and grabbed Josh’s upper arm tightly. I narrowed my eyes at the point of contact. It seemed…..possessive What was going on?
Maris gulped. Then she started, “Alpha Lucien, after Auren rejected Bram, his wolf disappeared. Bram was living miserable life. I offered him to marry me because I also needed a stable life.” She darted a nervous look at me. “However, after marriage, he was hesitant to mark me. And he- she pursed her lips as her cheeks turned red.
“What happened?” Lucien growled. “If you don’t tell me everything. Maris,” he said in a chilling voice. “I will wipe out your every fucking pack member, rip this Beta into pieces and burn you all to the ground.”
“No, please!” she spoke. She licked her lips and continued, “He didn’t want to mate with me,” she blurted.
My eyes widened. Because of her, Bram rejected me, and he didn’t want to mate with her? After marriage also? What was going on?
Maris’s eyes came to me, and something like hatred flickered through them momentarily. “I knew that he hated me. Often when I tried to go to him, he would compare me with Auren. Then over the last few months, he completely avoided me. Got deep into drinking. He didn’t want to talk about the pack or the pack business. It was Josh and I who were always looking after it. I got fed up with Bram’s negligence, and in desperation turned to her gaze went to Josh. “To Josh.” It was my turn to gasp. Maris and Beta Josh?
Maris lowered her face. “Josh and I…” She pursed her lips.
“Maris and I had relations,” Josh filled in. “Bram was being an asshole. We tried to drill sense into him, but he just spiraled down into insanity. We were both sure that he was going moon–crazy.”
Guilt wrapped my soul. Was I responsible for Bram’s miseries? Sensing my feelings, Lucien closed the gap between us and pulled me in his embrace. “You are not guilty, okay? He rejected you, remember? For Maris.”
I nodded and took a rough breath. It was all in the past. I didn’t want to think about it. So I turned to look at Maris and Josh. “Then what happened?” I asked.
“One day, Bram caught us,” Maris said, her cheeks reddening “He threatened me that if I didn’t comply with his wishes, he would reveal to everyone that I was unfaithful” She clutched her dress nervously. “You know how pack members are if they come to know of Luna’s infidelity. They would have ripped me into pieces. Josh too…
“Why should I believe you?” Lucien growled. “You’ve only manipulated everyone around you! You even manipulated Bram!” She let out a whimper. “Alpha Lucien, whatever I did, I did for myself. I may not be justified in your eyes, but I am in my eyes. Bram compelled me to go to my father and ask him to go against you. Yes, I confess that Bram asked me to manipulate
1/2
Cost Confess
my father and tell him that you used dark magic to break the curse. Bram threatened me that he would kill Josh, and throw me in front of his rock members. I didn’t have much of a choice.” She caught Josh’s hand. “I am in love with him. He treats me like no one else has
Do you even know what you’ve done in the process?” Lucien said menacingly, his fangs slipping out. His eyes were dark with anger, and he looked like he was barely able to control. “I will fucking kill you!”
She was shaking now. Her grip on Josh’s hand tightened. For a brief moment, she looked small. In a final, desperate attempt to save herself, she spoke in a trembling voice, “Alpha Lucien, before you do any such thing, you should know that I
is the one who saved you and Auren at the High Council.”
My breath lodged in my throat. “What?” I rasped.
She nodded. 1. I was the one who sent the video of Sable to the High Council.”
My mouth dropped to the floor as Lucien looked at her with disbelief blasting in his chest.
1 thought… I thought that if they knew, they would act, and maybe stop Bram.*
“You knew about Sable? Lucien asked.
I couldn’t believe how twisted, manipulative and selfish Maris was. Sable was a good friend of hers. And she betrayed Sable. Not that I cared because it worked in my favor. Still….
She nodded. “Sable had come to Bram after she attacked Auren,” she said, glancing at me sheepishly. “She asked Bram to hide her for a few days, mentioning that she was going to get rid of Auren fast. Then he could have Auren. They had planned it pretty nicely.
I narrowed my eyes. It felt like she was lying, and that she was a part of it. “And what did Bram do?” I asked.
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